ADIOS, 2013. YOU WERE GOOD TO US.

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AUGUST (August was my FAVORITE!)







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DECEMBER


2013 was an amazing year for us. We started it just barely pregnant with the baby of our dreams. We finished it with him in our arms. There was a TON of love cultivated here this year. Between me and Conrad, for our baby, for our families, and for people and life in general. Morning sickness kind of owned me for the first couple months, but once I hit the second trimester, I was back to my old self, only better because Baby Boy Frame was coming. I spend the rest of pregnancy doing all kinds of crazy nesting projects in preparation for bringing the Boy home. Because, you know, my baby won't have cream walls, he needs them to be white! and my baby deserves to come home to a newly remodeled kitchen! and remodeled furniture (and NEW furniture!)!

They tell you pregnancy is 40 weeks, and a full term baby is 37. So, basically, you are totally ready by 37 weeks. Thing is, pregnancy is actually more like 41 weeks, so if you're told your whole life that it should be over around 37 weeks, you get to 41 and you're like WHY ARE THE STUPID DOCTORS MAKING ME WAIT!? But they're just doing what's best for your son, and it turns out that an overdone baby is much safer and less worrisome than one underdone. Ask my mom about it.

2013 wasn't without its trials. August 25 was the day Baby Boy Frame was born via c-section due to failed induction (after 24 hours of sleepless labor, I might add). It was the most scared I've ever been, ever, ever. But the minute he was born, so was I. My heart just opened and in flooded all the best feelings. Conrad was a whole new man. He was a dad! My baby's dad! And how handsome he looked holding our son. August 28 was the day he was named Henry Conrad, and we came home to our under-construction house.

We finished our kitchen and living room, snuggled our sweet boy, learned how to go with broken sleep periods, and fell more in love with life every second. I learned how to breastfeed after months and months of not being so sure about it, and love it and am even considering extended nursing. We'll see. It's my favorite thing I've ever done, nursing this boy. Not the coolest (that would be making him with my body), but my very favorite.

Henry is now four months old, not quite old enough to understand presents, but just old enough to enjoy the lights on the Christmas tree. I'm ringing in the New Year with a baby on my hip and a husband on my arm saying, "2014, see if you can top that!"